This fish is prized for the heart shaped spot near where you'd expect the heart to be. Several sub-species exist, including a long finned variety, as well as one that is gold tinted. All of them sport attractive fins edged in white and black, in addition to the characteristic bright red heart in the upper abdomen. They are a relatively peaceful fish suitable for community tanks. Males are slightly larger than females, and have elongated dorsal and anal fins.

Erythrina cristagalli is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The tree's flower is the national flower of Uruguay. It is also the official city tree of Los Angeles, California (where it is referred to simply as "the coral tree"). Erythrina cristagalli is a small tree, the girth of its trunk measuring 50 cm. Normally it grows 5–8 meters tall, although some, such as the ceibos on the banks of River Uruguay can grow up to 10 m. The species characteristically grows wild in gallery-forest ecosystems along water courses, as well as in swamps and wetlands. In urban settings, it often is planted in parks for its bright red flowers.

The genus Phrynops only comprises 4 species, Phrynops hilarii's being one of the best known. It has a flat shell which is particularly noticeable between the second and third bridge. Specimens are usually olive gray though some are slightly brownish. The plastron is orange-yellow exhibiting small dots and gray circular patterns. The head is rather large and flattened which reminds of a snake or a toad. It presents a thin black line crossing the upper half of neck and all the way through the eyes. The lower half has a whitish color with some small dark lines or dots. Below the mouth are two short but rather thick white whiskers. The neck is very long and can be contracted to the side of the shell (a distinctive characteristic of all turtles of this family).

G. labiatus inhabits fast flowing water, whose bottom is covered with large rocks and coarse gravel. These fishes are very timid in the wild and lead a relatively reclusive life close to the substrate. The specimen above was caught in the Centurion River, a tributary of the Yaguarón River system in the border between Brasil and Uruguay, some 500 km northeast of Montevideo.

This insect is not well known partly because they mostly call from the tree tops as adults and then spend at least four years underground as immature insects feeding on tree roots. Static at low density but mobile at high density, males calling two or three times and then flying to another calling site.

The Caiman latirostris spends much of its time in the water. This is where it finds food - aquatic snails, crabs, and sometimes fish and snakes. But there are times when it is necessary to head for land, especially on the nesting season. A female mounds up a nest and lays between 21 and 38 eggs.

The Uruguay is the youngest river of the Plata watershed. Its waters flow over igneous extrusive rocks (in the form of lava beds) from Mesozoic and Neo-Paleozoic deposited in subhorizontal spills at depths varying from 300 to 1,000 m.

This species of piranha is frequently seen in Uruguay river. It has a silverish coloration, often with hints of green towards the upper body. They are covered with numberous small dark spots and have a very concave head shape. The older this fish gets, the more convex the shape of the head gets. The usual color is bright gold to yellow in the lower body, changing to a silverish yellow the further you get to the back.

The name of this genus may have been taken from the girl's name. Though it has been suggested the name may be a variant of "Phanessa", from an Ancient Greek word for a mystic divinity, this is unlikely. The name of the divinity is actually not "Phanessa" but Phanes. Johan Christian Fabricius, the entomologist who named this genus, normally used the original forms of the names of Classical divinities when he created new scientific names.El nombre de este género puede haber sido tomado del de una chica. Pese a que se ha sugerido que derivaría de una variante de "Phanessa"; una palabra del griego antiguo para una divinidad mística, esto resulta ser poco probable. Éste no sería en realidad "Phanessa" sino Phanes. Johan Christian Fabricius, el entomólogo autor de tal clasificación, normalmente empleaba nombres originales de divinidades clásicas cuando creaba nuevos nombres científicos.Pueblo Constitución, Salto.

Why bilingual? For starters, Spanish is my native tongue. Secondly, English is still the universal language and the blog is meant to be accessible for anyone on the globe who is into Nature conservancy; particularly in getting to know Uruguay's flora and fauna.

"Hunting is merely a cowardly circumlocution for the cowardy murder of fellow creatures who do not have a chance. Hunting is a variant of human mental illness" Theodore Heuss (First president of the Republic of Germany; 1884-1963)

"When I was twelve, I went hunting with my father and we shot a bird. He was laying there and something struck me. Why do we call this fun to kill this creature who was as happy as I was when I woke up this morning?" (American and Canadian football coach, 1925-)

"May I walk unceasingly on the banks of my river, may my soul repose on the branches of the trees which I planted, and may I may refresh myself under the shadow of my sycamore tree".Egyptian tomb inscription, circa 1400 AD

"We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, other animals and the trees."Chief Edward Moody, Qwatsinas, Nuxalk Nation

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were... Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee".John Donne, English Metaphysical poet (1572 - 1631)